


Full Cupboard

by Makira820



Series: Cupboard Full of Pandas [6]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Babysitting, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:33:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27867694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Makira820/pseuds/Makira820
Summary: Sae is tasked with babysitting as the birth of the final Niijima family member draws near.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto, Kurusu Akira/Niijima Makoto
Series: Cupboard Full of Pandas [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1561558
Comments: 1
Kudos: 42





	Full Cupboard

**August 2028**

It had been nearly four years since Akira and Makoto's lives had changed for the better—four years of them being the parents of the goobiest little girl. Tae grew from a plump little strawberry to quite the active toddler in that time. Eight months was all it took for her to stand up on her own legs, and two months later, she spoke her first word:  _ bumbum. _ Well, not really a proper word, but she was most certainly referring to her backside which she had just fallen on. Close enough.

Fast forward two and a half years and she was old enough to put her newfound motor skills and basic language comprehension to work. To raise hell, more like it.

"Tae, sweetheart, what are you doing?" 

The question came from her father, Akira, better known to her as "daddy." He was sitting on the sofa on this fine morning, enjoying his coffee while he kept his daughter company as she watched her cartoons. That is, until she grew bored of the programming and decided to stand up on the couch cushion beside him.

"Mommy says daddy's hairs too long," Tae answered with an evil little smirk as she took a tiny fistful of his hair and gave it a hefty yank.

"OW!" Akira nearly spilled his coffee as he winced in pain.

The strength of this little girl could not be explained through human definitions. The Niijima blood flowed through her veins, sure, but also there was undoubtedly some superhuman ability that she somehow inherited from her parents' metaverse counterparts. Or maybe he was just being one of those parents that overstates everything their "darling" child does.

"Sweetie-ACK! Baby-OW! It's really not nice to-OUCH! Alright, that's it!"

Akira set down his coffee and turned to face the little hellion, losing a few strands of hair in the process. His own "grown-up" evil smirk smeared across his face as he played the only reversal card he could against a child assailant:  _ tickling. _ Her mother was susceptible, so it stood to reason that she was as well. Oh, how right he was. Within seconds, she surrendered in a laughing fit.

"Ahahahahahahahaha! Stooooop! Moooommy! Helllllp!" little Tae pleaded.

Makoto could hear the ruckus all the way in the bathroom. Any louder and the neighbors likely would as well. She'd been staring into the mirror for a while now, contemplating things. She had caught the signs earlier this time, and the test results confirmed her suspicions. She wanted to give the surprise a bit more flair this time around, but she lacked her husband's harebrained creativity. What was she to do?

_ "AAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!" _

Makoto herself giggled at the timing of the outburst. Perhaps she should rescue her daughter from those dastardly tickles first. She hid the results under a washcloth and made for the living room.

"Alright, I think that's enough, you two," Makoto said, interrupting the hair pulling and tickling. "Any louder and I'm gonna get a call about a noise complaint in my own home."

Tae didn't really understand the police reference, but she could understand the look on her mother's face well enough. She released her father's hair not a moment later. Akira understood perfectly fine, but decided to poke mama bear just a smidge more.

He leaned over to his daughter and whispered in her ear. "Your mommy's ticklish too."

His reward was a gentle smack on the head from his wife above.

"If you're done, there's something we need to talk about," Makoto said, then turned to face her daughter. "...Tae, honey? Where's your sippy cup?"

Tae thought for a few seconds, before offering up an unsure "uhduhno."

"Well, if you can find it in the next ten minutes, I'll fill it with chocolate milk instead of juice," Makoto said.

That certainly got her little bumbum off the couch. Suddenly their daughter was out of listening distance as she embarked on her quest for choccy milk. Makoto took the opportunity to tilt her husband's head upward and plant an upside down kiss on his lips from behind the sofa. Not a peck, not a smooch, but a full-on "I do" kiss. Akira knew almost immediately that something was up.

"Alright, you got my attention," he said, gazing up at her as she pulled his hair back and went in for another kiss on his forehead. Then his cheek, then his nose…

...She was stalling. She hadn't actually thought of a clever way to tell him yet. Every kiss after the first was just a diversionary tactic born from a crumpled up thought in her head. How? It had to be romantic. Or perhaps comical? Romantically-comical? But she hated romcoms, they were never her first choice films when they watched a movie together.

_ 'Oh. Oh, that could work,'  _ she thought.

"...Do you remember that movie date we had during my last year in college? The name of the movie?" she asked.

Akira thought back for a moment. "It was… _ 'Burning Bravely _ , _ ' _ right?"

Makoto grinned. How fortunate that he actually remembered a particular date from so many years ago. "That's right. But do you remember the sequel we went and saw in the exact same theatre a few years later?"

"... _ 'Dead by Default' _ ?"

That earned him a honeymoon kiss. She was  _ so  _ proud of him, she nearly forgot the point of this little quiz.

"Mmm, why do you ask?" he asked once his mouth was finally free.

Makoto leaned down further so she could hug him while she spoke softly and clearly into his ear only, lest their daughter overhear what mommy was about to say.

"Well, let's just say that Tae was the first movie...and my uterus is the theatre."

**May 2029**

They say that by the second child, every parent is an expert. Neither Makoto nor Akira were entirely sure about that saying, but at the very least they knew what to expect from the approaching due date. Rather, they knew to expect the unexpected. Tae came out about a week earlier than they thought she would, so this time they were taking more precautions.

Makoto would give in to her instinct to nest at the cost of boredom; while Akira, still the worrywart father-to-be (again), would be tasked with catering to her every need. It took great effort to get her to accept such royal pampering. Makoto never liked it. She always said it made her feel guilty that he would give and give and get nothing in return, to which he would reply: 

"A comfy Queen and a healthy baby boy are the only things I desire at the moment. So lay back and enjoy the footrub for me~"

Eventually she allowed herself to surrender to the indulgence, if only to make it easier on him. She was all he had to worry about the first time around, but now there was also a daughter that needed to be cared for as well. He could say it was no problem all he wanted, but Makoto could tell he was being worn thin in these last few months. Thus, the decision was made that Tae would stay with her aunt as the baby's due date drew near.

"Are you gonna be a good girl for your Aunt Sae?" Akira asked as he crouched down to meet his daughter at eye level.

"Mhm!"

"You  _ promise _ ?"

The 4-year-old nodded as assuredly as she knew how. Good enough to convince him that maybe she'd try to behave. He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the forehead as thanks. While Akira helped her get settled in, Makoto spoke with her sister in the kitchen.

"You have my number—obviously, Akira's number, my work number, our doctor's office's number-"

"Makoto?" Sae tried to interrupt her.

"-her school's number, but you don't have to worry about that until Monday. We already told her preschool teacher everything, so there shouldn't be any issues there."

"Makoto," Sae tried again.

That time she heard her, and only because she paused for a moment to recall the next pertinent detail.

"What?" she asked.

"Akira already filled me in on all of this, precisely so you wouldn't stress yourself out as you are right now," Sae said.

Makoto shot a glance at him in the living room, who smiled back with a knowing grin as their daughter continued pulling his hair for whatever reason.

"...I see," she said, a bit peeved at her loss of parental thunder. That meticulous nature of his was at times the most attractive  _ and  _ irritating thing about her husband.

Sae scoffed at the thought of what kind of silly "argument" about whom was the more anal-retentive parent that they would have on the drive home. Makoto was, obviously, and Akira was a fool to challenge her. Simple as that.

"Well, if you simply must talk my ear off, you could tell me what exactly this is," Sae offered. She was of course referring to the sizable thermal bag they had brought with them and placed on the countertop.

"Oh, that's dinner," Makoto said. "We didn't want you to worry about that on the first night at least."

Sae saw right through the sugar-coated lie. It wasn't that they thought she'd worry about what to make, but that  _ they _ worried that whatever she did make wouldn't be up to snuff with a 4-year-old's standards.

"Your confidence is flattering, really..." Sae said sarcastically as she checked the bag's contents.

Her eyes widened and lips parted just the tiniest bit that did not go unnoticed as she found the first item sealed in a plastic container: dumplings.  _ Akira's pork dumplings. _ The ones he made by hand using only the most succulent roasted pork that he marinated overnight in his signature curry sauce. These delectable little bastards were the latest on a long list of things she blamed for her growing waistline.

Makoto giggled at her sister's reaction, then leaned in close enough for a whisper. "Don't worry, I asked for them last night and convinced him to make more while he was at it. He'll never know you secretly adore them."

Sae swallowed the excess saliva in her mouth before it could dare attempt to pass her lips. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said nonchalantly as she stuffed the container back in the bag.

After all was said and done, and Tae was situated, the time had come for her parents to leave. This wasn't the first time she'd be away from her parents, but it was the first time she'd be apart from them overnight. Even more concerning was that she would likely remember this as her first actual sleepover. Was she ready? They weren't quite sure. But it was comforting to know that her first sleepover would be with family.

"You'll call when she goes into labor?" Sae asked her brother-in-law as they were saying their goodbyes.

"After I take her to the hospital and as soon as I have a free hand, you'll be the first call," he assured her.

No lip whatsoever, only compliance. He used to be such a pain in the ass to deal with, but now he actually seemed like an adult sometimes. The sense of pride Sae felt in her brother had truly peaked.

"...Ah, I should probably tell you, though. I actually forgot to file for paternity leave at the office. Mind helping a brother out?" he asked.

Scratch that. The pride was gone. Sae let out a sigh, her chin aimed downward as she shook her head in disappointment. As his boss, she'd half a mind to reprimand him for waiting until the last minute. But as his sister-in-law, really, this was just par for course. If it weren't for the approaching birth of her nephew she'd be a lot more pissed.

"...I'll handle it," she said. "But you better believe there's going to be a mountain of case files on your desk when you get back."

"Sounds fun," he said ironically as the two shared an awkward in-law hug.

Makoto couldn't help but smile at the exchange. There was once a time when she could barely even get them to sit on the same sofa together when they watch a movie. Now they hugged each other goodbye like proper family members. Awkwardly, but hey, she'll take what she can get. It was a decent example for Tae to follow once her own brother was born.

"Can mommy and your little brother get a hug too?" Makoto requested of her daughter as she held her enlarged baby bump.

As if she needed to ask. Tae ran up to her mother, stopping herself just short of headbutting her belly. She did have a bit of a pain and destruction streak, but when it came to her pregnant mother and unborn baby brother, she acted as cautiously as one could expect from a 4-year-old. In her mind, mommy would pop if anything poked or squeezed her too hard. Carefully, she reached up and gave her mother the gentlest hug she was capable of.

"See you real soon, bro, okay?" Tae said in a hushed tone, as if any louder would awaken the baby inside.

Sensing his wife's yearning to give their daughter a hug herself, Akira picked her up and raised her to eye level with her mother. Together they held her between them as they smothered her in affection while they said their goodbyes. After a few more hugs and double checking everything she possibly could, Akira finally managed to get Makoto to leave well enough alone so they could be on their way. 

And thus, Sae's first babysitting role on record began.

She had a plan, of course. She had prepped Makoto's old room to suit the child's needs for the stay. It didn't take much effort as she hadn't really tampered with her room since she moved out. For entertainment, she had purchased several, kid-friendly movies for them to watch together. If that didn't tickle her niece's fancy, she had also purchased a surplus of couch pillows and blankets in the event that she wished to "make a mess" and train her creativity in the process by constructing a pillow fort or whatever it was children enjoyed doing in living rooms. For dinner, she was going to-...Oh, right. Those plans were on hold until they finished off the food her parents brought for them. Probably for the best if she was being honest with herself.

"...Auntie Sae?" Tae asked, breaking her from her recollection.

"Yes?"

"Can I draw a picture?"

Sae stopped herself from swearing aloud.  _ Drawing! _ Of course children liked to draw! How could she have overlooked such an obvious activity?! She was completely unprepared for this. At 37-years-old and happily independent, she housed not even a single crayon in her entire apartment.

"Uhh...sure? Do you need a... _ pen _ ?" Sae offered.

Tae shook her little head. "Mm-mm. Daddy told me to put crayons in my backpack."

_ 'Thank god…'  _

Sae showed her to the living room, where Tae promptly dumped the contents of her Buchimaru backpack onto the coffee table. Inside was a sizable box of crayons and a notebook containing all the paper she would likely burn through before she went home. There was also a sippy cup that was,  _ thankfully, _ tightly sealed. That was it. Nothing else in the bag. It was a good thing her actual necessities were packed in another bag by her parents. Sae chuckled to herself as she took the sippy cup and put in the refrigerator as it was likely warm by now.

When she returned, Tae was already coloring away as she sat on the carpet scooted up the table that was now shoulder height for her. Sae chose the sofa instead, sitting down amongst the overabundance of pillows.

Minutes passed and Tae didn't ask for anything—not even for her sippy cup back. Curious, Sae checked the time. It was only a little past 2pm. Much too early for dinner. But really Sae was just hoping for the excuse to do something. She really thought this would be a lot more demanding of her. She had made extra certain that work wouldn't follow her home this week so she could give her niece the attention she deserved. It was tiring, but worth it if it meant Tae wouldn't go a single day feeling neglected as her mother once did all those years ago. There had to be something she could do for Tae right now.

"Hey, Tae? Do you want me to turn a movie on?" Sae offered.

"Mm-mm," was the girl's answer.

"Alright, well...Do you want to build a pillow fort?"

Tae looked up from her drawing and tilted her head. "What's that?"

"A pillow fort? You know, it's when you make a small, localized mess, typically in a living room; compromised of pillows and blankets and such."

The only word Tae understood was "mess."

"Daddy told me not to make a mess…"

"Well, this is a more...easy-to-clean mess. I don't mind, really."

"Hmmmm…Maybe later," Tae said, casually accepting the offer to wreck her living room. "But I really wanna draw now."

"Oh...okay then. But if you want or need anything at all, all you have to do is ask."

"Okay!" Tae said before directing her full attention back to her coloring.

Sae slumped back into the sofa as she let a quiet sigh. Was this all there was to looking after a child? Just sitting here with them until they get hungry? She seemed to recall Makoto being a lot more labor intensive when she was little. Sae had to cook, she had to clean, she had to do her homework while helping Makoto with her own; occasionally she had to take her to school in the morning if their father was working early (or late). Maybe she was just more prone to complaints and exaggerating hardships as a teenager. Maybe she stressed herself out over this whole ordeal for nothing. 

She had exhausted herself in her preparation, and now that the time had come, there was nothing she had to do right at this moment. How ironic. She leaned back further to get more comfortable on the sofa. It didn't take much effort with all the pillows offering support.

All the while, Tae just kept quietly coloring away. The only sounds in the room were the occasional sifting through the crayon box until the girl found a color that suited her. It was strangely calming to see her so peacefully engrossed in her craft. Soon, and without consciously electing to do so, Sae closed her eyes for just a moment.

Surely that wouldn't hurt, right?

* * *

_ "...aunt Sae…" _

_ "Aunt Sae…!" _

"AUNT SAE!!!"

Sae's eyes snapped open as she abruptly sat up, knocking nearly all the pillows off the couch as a result. She blinked a few times, trying to adjust her eyes to the light in the living room. Only that was the problem—there was none.

"Tae…?" she groggily asked before clearing her throat. "Tae?! Where are you?!"

"AUNT SAAAAE!!!"

The scream came from down the hallway. Sae scrambled to her feet, nearly tripping on the pillows in the process before her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness filling the living room. What time was it? She couldn't find her phone nor could she read the clock on the wall. That the sun had gone down was her only indication. 

A million questions raced through her mind at once. Was Tae hurt? How could she fall asleep with a child in her care?! What would Makoto think if she knew how careless she had been with her little girl? Is this how she loses her family for good…? The last one didn't matter right now. All that mattered was getting to her niece as quickly as possible.

She marched down the hall, directly for Makoto's bedroom. It only made sense for her to be there, it was the only room she'd been informed of besides the bathroom, which was clearly empty at the moment. 

Sae opened the door, relieved to see the girl sitting on the floor at Makoto's old tea table. But as she turned on the light, her heart churned at the sight of Tae's red face and tear soaked cheeks. She'd been sitting here, alone in the dark, crying for god knows how long. Sae fell to her knees and took Tae into her arms.

"Tae?! What happened?! Are you hurt?!" she asked as she frantically looked her over for signs of injury.

Tae only squeezed her aunt as she buried her face in her chest and continued crying. The poor girl was shaking, as if terrified of something. Sae looked around for things that might scare a child, but couldn't see anything in the vicinity even with the lights on.

"Shhhh, it's okay, you're okay…" Sae assured her as she held her, rubbing the back of her head as she'd seen Makoto do. "Just tell Aunt Sae what happened."

"I-It...it got d-dark…and…!" Tae whimpered.

_ 'Dark…? She's afraid of the dark?' _

It made sense. Like mother, like daughter. Makoto used to be terrified of the dark as a child. It got to be less of an issue when she moved in with Sae, thanks to her bedroom window facing west, but that was probably the problem in this case. Tae must not have known that it was dark in the rest of the apartment due to the extra light in the bedroom, trapping her in the encroaching darkness with no escape.

"Oh...oh, I'm so sorry, honey," Sae said, holding her close as she rocked side to side.

They sat like this until Tae calmed down a little. Sae wanted to explain herself, she wanted to tell Tae to never be afraid to wake her up even in the dead of night, but it didn't seem like either was what the girl needed to hear right now. She had to come up with something else to make her feel safe right at this moment.

"...Hey, Tae?" she asked.

Tae rolled her head up to look at her aunt with her puffy eyes.

"What scares you the most about the dark?"

"There might be monsters...and I can't see them so I can't hide…" Tae said, sniffling.

Sae thought for a moment as she came up with a solution. She looked around the room, searching for inspiration. Drawn to their reflection in the glass door of the cupboard, an idea sprang up in her head.

"Hey, can you look into my eyes for a second?" she asked.

Tae did as told.

"What do you see?"

"Brown…but kinda red," Tae said.

"Very good," Sae said with a warm smile. "These eyes I share with both you and your mother. To us, they're just our family's strange eye color. But to everyone else, our eyes can be quite scary if we look at them a certain way."

Tae looked confused. "We're... _ scary _ ?"

"We can be," Sae said. "So just remember that if you're ever alone in a dark room, you're the scariest little monster in that room."

The young girl's eyes widened as the gears turned in her head, the epiphany shown clear in her shocked expression. Sae waited for another question, but received none. Instead she received an answer.

_ Grrrrrrrr… _

Sae chuckled at how perfect the timing was. "You see? Only monsters growl when they're hungry."

Tae leapt to her feet as she placed both hands on her rumbling tummy. "I'm a monster!" she declared at the top of her lungs.

"Yes, well, even monsters should wash up before dinner," Sae chuckled again as she brushed her niece's cheek. "Go get in the bathroom so I can wash your face."

Tae, eager to prove her ferocity, marched out the door and into the pitch black hallway. She hesitated once she saw  _ how  _ dark it was, but stomped her foot and growled once more to scare away any monsters that stood between her and the bathroom.

_ 'That was...surprisingly easy. I should have tried that with Makoto…'  _ Sae thought to herself as she stood up.

As she did, she finally took notice of the drawing on the table. Tae had brought it with her when snuck away to her mother's room. Before she fell asleep, Sae remembered only one blob person, yet now there were five in total. It seemed to be finished given the lack of space for another. It took Sae a few seconds to realize what exactly she was looking at until it finally dawned on her that the two little blobs were her and her little brother. The other three surrounding them were her parents and... _ her. _ Tae had included her aunt in the drawing of her family. Without realizing, a tear fell from her eye and onto the page beside her blob.

"Aunt Sae…?" Tae called from the bathroom.

"Yeah, I'll be right there," Sae replied as she wiped her face.

After a delicious dinner that would not be credited as such, Sae directed her attention to the mess of pillows in the living room. It was supposed to be Tae making the mess but instead it was her who did this. She scoffed at the irony. As she was placing the pillows back on the sofa, she noticed something reflective sticking out from between the cushions: her phone _. _

"So that's where it was…" Sae said aloud as she sat down and unlocked the screen.

_ (3) missed calls _

_ Akira Niijima 2:31pm _

_ Akira Niijima 2:32pm _

_ Akira Niijima 2:33pm _

_ (1) new voicemail _

_ Akira Niijima 2:33pm _

"Oh no…" she whispered. 

She opened the voicemail and held the phone up to her ear, damning herself once again for falling asleep.

_ "Hey, me again. I just got Makoto to the hospital. We didn't even make it home before she told me her water broke. Turns out both our babies care little for schedules, heh. I won't be able to call again until after the delivery, so...yeah. Tell Tae we love her and she'll see her brother soon." _

Sae sat motionless on the couch as she stared blankly ahead of her. This was six hours ago, seven after the drive to the hospital. Her nephew, Tae's brother, was likely already with them by now. 

"...Hey, Tae?" Sae asked, having made up her mind.

"Hm?" Tae looked at her, sippy cup in hand as she downed some chocolate milk.

"Do you need help tying your shoes?"

* * *

Akira massaged his hand as he stepped through the automated outside doors of the hospital. He found it funny how his wife tried so hard to convince him that looking after both her and their daughter on his own was too much of a burden on his well being, yet had no trouble squeezing the life out of his hand with all her considerable strength. Not that he minded the pain, just funny is all.

He held his phone with his opposite hand as scrolled through his contacts. The only reason he left his wife and baby alone was so that he could call his sister-in-law and tell her the good news. Plus, it'd be nice to hear his daughter's voice after such a long day.

_ "DAAAAAADDYYYYYYY!!!" _

He hadn't even dialed the number. He turned around to the sight of his baby girl running in a full sprint along the sidewalk. He immediately crouched down to accept the little runner into his arms, else she'd likely crash into him at such speeds. He spun her around as he stood up, giving her a big hug as he nuzzled her cheek.

"Hey, baby! What are you doing here? Where's your aunt?" he asked.

"Right...Right here…" Sae gasped as she finally caught up, clearly out of breath. "Tae...don't...run off like that…"

Akira gave his daughter a stern "papa" face. " _ Tae,  _ what have we told you to do when you're in public?"

" _ 'Always hold mommy or daddy's hand,' _ " she quoted.

"Well, the same applies for your aunt. You should never run off without one of us three with you."

"I'm sorry, daddy…" Tae pouted. "But I wanna see my little brother…!"

Neither Akira nor Sae could stay mad at the girl with that twinkle in her eye. That was what she was here for, after all. Akira set her back down on her own two feet as he crouched in front of her to look his daughter in the eye. He held up two fingers in front of her face.

"Okay," he said. "But first, you gotta make daddy two promises. One: No more running tonight. At all. And two: You have to be extra quiet. Babies are very sensitive, and mommy is very tired after such a long day. Can you promise me that?"

Tae smacked her full belly as a sort of salute. "Mhm! I'll be the most quietest monster EVER!"

"That's, er...great, sweetie," he chuckled with a quizzical expression as he took her hand and led her inside the hospital, followed by Sae.

"Monster…?" he asked in a hushed voice as they walked through the hall.

"Next time I babysit, I expect a fully detailed list of all your daughter's quirks and fears," Sae explained.

Meanwhile, in a separate room, Makoto held her beautiful baby boy in her arms for the first time. Her body was exhausted, yet looking down into those little red eyes filled her with so much joy that she could hardly contain herself. This was her _second_ baby that she made with her husband. They had two children now, two sources of boundless love and living proof that Makoto had a family. A _full_ family, unburdened by the missing pieces because there were none. She couldn't help but cry tears of joy now that she held the newest member of the family she always wanted.

"...You need a moment, love?"

Makoto looked up to see her husband poking his head out from behind the door. Just below him, Tae poked her own curious head past the door as she covered her mouth. Makoto grinned at the goofballs, then looked back down to her baby.

"Your daddy and big sis are here…" she whispered.

The rest of the Niijima family poured into the room. Akira and Tae took their place on one side of the bed while Sae stood on the other. The latter smiled once she saw her nephew's brown tuft of hair. It matched the drawing exactly. Tae must have figured that if she looked like aunt Sae, then her brother would have to look like mommy.

"He's so small and squishy looking…" Tae whispered from behind her palms.

Her brother shifted his glance to the new face hovering beside their mother. Tae gasped as she backed away, scared that she had frightened him. Akira stopped her, giving her a reassured nod as he picked her up and carefully set her down on the bed next to her mother. She clung to Makoto's shoulder as she looked her brother in the eyes, both babies equally bewildered.

"You see those eyes?" her mother asked. "You looked at me with that same look when you were born. So small and curious...my little strawberries…"

Tae stared at her brother until he finally looked back to their mother. "What's his name…?" she asked.

Makoto and Akira shared a glance, then she smiled as she looked back down to their son. "His name is  _ Soji _ ."

"After Sojiro?" Sae asked.

"Well actually, it's after Aiko Sojima, the creator of Buchimaru-kun," Akira explained. "But sure, let's say that too."

**Author's Note:**

> One year ago today, I posted the very first chapter of Cupboard Full of Pandas featuring the birth of ShuMako's first child. So of course I had to do another one for their second and last baby this year. 🐼🐼🐼🐼🐼


End file.
